Day 100: I See You

Something completely different on the last day ... and yes, there were morning and afternoon teas involved in the process.

I was invited by an american friend to attend a artists' workshop by Webinar centered on 'finding the artist within' where one of the outcomes was that, through the analysis of your work, an artist could come to develop and build their personal artistic statement. To ensure that analysis achieved 'viable and self fitting outcomes', there was a practising psychiatrist, and art critic and a gallery owner as some of the programme leads. Run from the University of California, the core team numbered 6.

40 artists from around California attended and I found the two days interesting and, given the time difference, at times challenging but I survived the process. There was plenty of time to complete the mental exercises, questionnaires, discussions and meditations, but in order to meet the time frames for the completion of the paintings, you had to work fast.

I decided before I started that whatever the final piece of art I worked on was, it would be the one I would use to finish this project. My last painting, as were all the others, was totally different to those completed by the other artists taking part. Their work tended to feature shafts of light, clouds of billowing colour and rotating spheres and circles floating like planets in starry vistas. Clearly, my meditative, investigative and free thinking exercises led me on an alternative path.

At the end of the process, and following some word adjustments by the team leads, my completed artist's statement read as follows:

By examining the ambiguity and origination via variations, Debra tries to increase the dynamic between her audience and herself by objectifying emotions and investigating the duality that develops through different interpretations.

Debra's paintings directly respond to the surrounding environment and she uses her own everyday experiences as a starting point. Often these are framed instances that might go unnoticed in their original context. 

Her paintings do not show the complete story. This results from the fact that she can easily imagine her own interpretation without being hindered by the historical reality and her understanding that the viewer brings their own story to her work. Through the use of aesthetics, she seduces the viewer into a world of ongoing equilibrium and the interval that articulates the stream of daily events. Moments are depicted that exist to find poetic meaning in everyday life.

Compared to some of the statements for other artists in the group, mine finished in quite a readable format and, according to the art critic, was 'one of the most refreshingly straight forward and honest' Artist Statements he had seen in some time - and I thought it was a bit over wordy. Perhaps for New Zealand it is. Different cultures = different norms.

Medium: Windsor & Newton acrylic paint on Fredrix Artist Canvas

Time to complete: 1 hour

Day 99: Zebra Teapot

Day 99 and only one more to go. I was struggling to find something to do that excited me. I scratched around amongst my art supplies and found an old piece of tatty lino and my problem was solved.

A quick check confirmed that I did not have any printing ink, my lino cutting tools have been lost somewhere over time and I could not find the right sort of paper - but I felt impelled to improvise. My heart was set on a lino print.

A raid of the garage provided some tools I could use for cutting; the ink is an acrylic paint mix; the paper is low grade watercolour paper. Voila!! What fun. A one off lino cut print.

Medium: Lino Cut print with Acrylic paint on Watercolour paper

Time to complete: 40 minutes

Day 98: Plastic Mug

I have never used this mug before. I decided to choose a mug from the collection of drinking vessels in the house that I would normally avoid to draw and this is it. One of the plastic variety.

It is designed to be light to carry, unbreakable and keep your coffee warm.  There has been, I accept, a lot of design and engineering work that has gone into creating the perfect plastic moulded cup. People have slaved over drawing boards, calculated the perfect plastic consistency and measured the perfect density for moulding  However, the product of all that hard work does not impress me at all. I don't like it. I don't want to drink from it. Give me china, pottery or porcelain any day. Yes, I know that many china items are moulded these days but I much prefer the chink of china and the smooth feel of it in my hand.

Now ... where is that cup .... I put it down somewhere. Tea time.

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete:  30 minutes

Day 97: Japanese Teapot

This little pot doesn't belong to me. It lives in the home of a friend ... but I wish it was mine. It has lovely earthy colour tones and a bamboo handle which has a softly aged patina.

The pot is only used to make green tea, which was the perfect accompaniment for the home made salmon and vegetarian sushi. They were made for each other.

I remember when green tea and sushi was not as popular here as it is today. With the merging and assimilation of cultures, we have gained a bounty of new flavours and I am grateful for it.

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 25 minutes

Day 96: Mugs

More mugs ... I did not realise until I started this project how many cups and mugs I actually see in a day. I pass through the day and these common every day objects play an important role, but I had hardly noticed them. They are mere background noise in my world.

Every day they fill spaces around me. At home, at work. at cafes, at restaurants, walking down the street ... I see cups and mugs. The diversity in the shape and size of them staggers me. They are painted, screen printed, turned into advertising media, shaped into all sorts of interesting objects and yet their core purpose remains unchanged. They are vessels to hold liquid so that we can drink fluids easily. Simple as that.

Medium: Winsor & Newton Acrylic paint on Fredrix Artist Canvas

Time to complete: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Day 95: Apples in a Bowl

These juicy apples came from an orchard in the Hawkes Bay. They are just as I like them - sweet and crisp.

I like to core and slice them and put them in a bowl and drizzle orange and lemon juice on them. If you let them sit in the fridge for 15 or 20 minutes, the citrus flavours infuse the apple slices. A very healthy snack and absolutely yummy.

My favourite apple dessert would be apple and blackberry pie. My mum used to make it with apples from the trees in the back yard and blackberries we gathered on rambles in the country side. Her pie had this sweet tangy taste and the smell was divine. Sweet memories.

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 30 minutes

Day 94: Still Life with Guitar

The composition was accidental. It is the scattered remains of a celebratory afternoon gathering. The champagne and water bottles are empty. There are not remnants of nuts left in the bowl. The leis draped behind the guitar are discarded ... but will keep for another day.

This is the first piece I have not had time to finish on the day. Life has intervened and I must put this piece aside and finish it another day. It deserves a background. The items need to be placed on the table, the guitar needs strings and the leis need some colour on their petals. I will work on it later this week, finish it and sign it off.  If I have time, I will repost the picture.

Medium: Winsor & Newton Acrylic paint on 350gsm paper

Time to complete so far:  2 hours and 20 minutes

Day 93: Cherry

I brought a small fruit salad to munch on for afternoon tea and there was a cherry on the top. It must have come from somewhere overseas, perhaps Australia or Portugal, as cherry season here is till some weeks away.

It did not look plump and juicy ... so rather than face the disappointment of a not so tasty cherry morsel, I set it aside and painted it instead.

Medium: Golden Acrylic paint on Canvas block

Time to complete: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Day 92: Dappled Light

The stream at the back of Stancich Reserve was running fast after all the rain over the last few days. I sat for a moment, while my dog had a 'poottle' around, and found a patch of water on the side where the water was still.

The shadow of a tree lay on the surface and an old dying leaf floated quietly. The breeze ruffled the water and the sun danced on the patterns it made. Nature performed a special show just for me.

I watch entranced for some time as the dappled light sparkled and gleamed and the breeze danced the water into every changing patterns. After a few moments, I was brought back to reality when a cold wet nose nudged me to let me know it was time to move on.

All morning, I remembered the sparkle of that dappled light and decided to capture the memory of it.

Medium: Winsor & Newton Acrylic on Fredrix Artist Canvas

Time to complete:  3 hours and 30 minutes

Day 91: Red Teapot

I completed a small study of this some weeks ago. I liked the composition and decided to size it up and do a larger version. I went back to my background drawings for the piece and it was nice to revisit those drawings and thumbnails.

This time I spent a little extra time matching the red hues on the teapot and I really enjoyed working on it.

This little pot is just great for herbal teas. It makes two cups, which meets my needs perfectly. I am not sure where it was made but I have had it for many years. It sat idle for many of them ... I am a recent imbiber of herbal and fruit teas. I am glad I did not part with it in my regular kitchen culls over the years. I am a fan of bright colours and the red always appealed to me.

Medium: Rembrandt Soft pastels on black pastel paper

Time to complete: 2 hours

Day 90: Stacked

Piles of plates ready for the dishwasher signal the end of a meal and some quiet time at the end of the day. Tonight we had pasta and the bowls will soon be stacked to be washed in the dishwasher along with the other miscellaneous items that have collected during the day.

The kitchen will hum to the soft swish and swash of the washing cycle and everyone will settle down to read books, listen to music, watch television, study or, in my case, draw. It is a comfortable feeling.

Medium: Black Marker pen on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 25 minutes

Day 89: A Jumbled Teabag

My used teabag was sitting on the saucer and the dark leaves inside looked like a pile of little letter shapes. I just had to draw it that way.

I based the jumbled letters on a line from Oscar Wilde: "You have filled my tea with lumps of sugar, and though I asked most distinctly for bread and butter, you have given me cake. I am known for the gentleness of my disposition, and the extraordinary sweetness of my nature, but I warn you, Miss Cardew, you may go too far".

Medium: Stabilo Pen on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: 20 minutes (including researching the line from Oscar Wilde)

Day 88: A Little Froth

It was a surprise to me when this carbonated fruit drink frothed on the top when pouring but I liked the effect in the glass, so I just had to pour me another.

The colour of the liquid poured from the bottle is a deep red, due to the blackcurrant content, but it softens in the lass and you can see the deep red of the fluid as it dives down below the froth into the and merges to a softer red colour in the glass. It tastes good too.

Medium: Stabilo Ink pen on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 30 minutes ( with a couple of breaks for sipping)

Day 87: A Tangle of Mugs

It is going to be one of those weeks where any spare time is going to be a precious commodity which must be used wisely. Weeks like this are rare and they help me to appreciate the quieter rhythm and flow of my normal routine.

I have grabbed a moment for art ... and in the few scant seconds created something from the nearest thing to hand, a mug on my kitchen bench.

Medium: Stabilo Ink pen on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: 5 minutes

Day 86: Tea

I have quite a number of different types of tea in my pantry. It never ceases to amaze me to see the variety of flavours that are now available in New Zealand. We have moved past English Breakfast and Earl Grey to more exotic blends of Green, Oolong and white teas and from Chamomile to Peach, Orange Blossom and Cinnamon Chai flavours.

Speciality tea shops pop up in malls and shopping areas, enticing me in with the luscious odours. They promise exotic tastes and exotic places. One can travel a long way with a a cup of tea. Must be time for me to stop and have one.

Medium: Stabilo Ink pen on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 15 minutes

Day 85: Birds on the Deck

It may feel a little like winter outside but the birds are busy nesting in the hedge behind our house and spring is definitely here.

These two little sparrows were having a chat on the railing of the deck. I don't know what was being said, but they were having a rest between showers. They entertained me as I sat at the dining room table enjoying my break between household chores. It is not hard to be waylaid by these little amusing birds when the task of washing the kitchen floor awaits.

Medium: Stabilo Ink pen on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 25 minutes

Day 84: Cafe Moment

It was a cold day with gusty winds and sweeps of rain and the forecast for the next couple of days was not going to be any better. It wasn't warm in the cafe and, just like me, the lady at the table in front of me kept her coat and scarf on as she sipped her coffee and browsed through a magazine.

Medium: Stabilo Ink pen drawing coloured with Watercolours on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 20 minutes

Day 83: A Little Linen Tablecloth

My second day in a row where I am going to have to squeeze in a moment for art ... but the lack of quality time will not defeat me. Again a quick study and to keep it simple, I limited the colour options.

This cloth has been with me for many years. I use it often even though I have to launder it carefully. The pattern is cut out and the little cutouts are hand embroidered in blue. Someone's labour of love.

Medium: Winsor & Newton Watercolours on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete:  20 minutes

Day 82: Three Pears

I had a very busy day today and had to grab a brief moment to fit in time for art and dive in for a short period. Still got one done on the day and, given I am on the home stretch of my 100 Days effort now with less than 20 days to go, that is what counts.  I don't want to fail at the final hurdle. Not my style at all.

There is lots wrong with this little pear study, but I did enjoy splashing the paint around. That's what counts on a day like today.

Medium: Winsor & Newton Watercolours on Sketchbook paper

Time to compete: 15 minutes